Bushmead Priory
Encyclopedia
The Priory Church of Saint Mary, Bushmead, commonly called Bushmead Priory
, was a monastic foundation
for Augustinian Canons, located at Bushmead
in the County of Bedfordshire
in England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The site and remains of the 700 year old priory
stand today neighbouring a light industrial estate, and disused airfield, and lies between the villages of Colmworth
and Little Staughton
. Nothing survives of the priory church, and all but the refrectory and kitchen of the claustral buildings have disappeared.
Never a large house, the community appears to have consisted of the prior and up to four canons.
The priory
was founded around 1195 by William, Chaplain
of Colmworth. Hugh de Beauchamp
of Eaton Socon
endowed the priory with 28 acres (113,000 m²), the priory also held land around Coppingford chapel; during these early years it also held a considerable number of Selions, given to them by local people as gifts of faith. Around 1206 King John
permitted the monks to enclose and clear part of the nearby Perry woods.
After William's death in 1215, Joseph, Chaplain of Coppingford, became head of the fraternity. Under his guidance the house became an Augustinian priory. The Augustinians, were then a comparatively new order, which ordained priest
s, but lived in community similar in style to monks.
Throughout the following years the priory prospered through gifts and grants. The monks wrote documents illustrating their daily lives, these became books of charters, called Cartularies. Unfortunately through the centuries very few of these charters have survived.
It was common for monastic orders at this time to be the beneficiaries of generous donations. However, it was equally common for disapproving heirs to object to the size of these gifts donated from their potential estates. One such heir was John Pateschull, unhappy at a bequest of £8 per annum in the will of his grandfather, after a dispute lasting many years, he had had the priory’s cattle
seized. Richard of Staughton, a senior Canon
and later prior of Bushmead, called the bailiff and set out to recover them. The senior Canon was seized by John Pateschull’s men and imprisoned. The dispute was finally ended through arbitration.
When Richard of Staughton became prior, he obtained permission from the bishop
to form a boy’s school; however it is thought he died of the Black Death
before the project could be implemented.
Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries
by Henry VIII
, the ownership of Bushmead Priory became the subject of a dispute between the St. John family of Bletsoe and Sir William Gascoigne of Cardington
, the latter being Cardinal Wolsey's controller of the household. He had previously exchanged land with King Henry VIII and sought further recompense. The King waited until 1537, almost a year after the priory’s dissolution, before allowing the priory to pass to Sir William.
Fifteen years later, in 1562, a Cambridgeshire
man, William Gery, purchased the estate and almost immediately began building on the site of the priory. Around a hundred years later Richard Gery extended the site and formed a mansion (since demolished). There have obviously been many changes to the priory. A new floor, and fenestration (in the lower section) were fitted circa 1500, although only the rafters now remain. Clearly visible, though, are the major and various subsequent minor alterations, giving an interesting insight into its architectural history.
It is a rare example of King post
, and timber frame roof architecture.
The site is now in the care of the English Heritage
Commission and is open to the public at weekends during Spring and Summer.
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
, was a monastic foundation
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
for Augustinian Canons, located at Bushmead
Bushmead
Bushmead is an area within the Barnfield ward of Luton, England. Towards the northwest of the ward, it is the housing developments near Luton Sixth Form College and Warden Hill....
in the County of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
in England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The site and remains of the 700 year old priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
stand today neighbouring a light industrial estate, and disused airfield, and lies between the villages of Colmworth
Colmworth
Colmworth is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Bedfordshire. It is situated around north-east of Bedford. The parish includes the hamlet of Duck's Cross. Other nearby places are Little Staughton, Wilden, Renhold, Staploe, Bolnhurst and Ravensden.The church is...
and Little Staughton
Little Staughton
Little Staughton is a small village and civil parish located in the north of Bedfordshire. The parish is part of the Stodden Hundred...
. Nothing survives of the priory church, and all but the refrectory and kitchen of the claustral buildings have disappeared.
Never a large house, the community appears to have consisted of the prior and up to four canons.
The priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
was founded around 1195 by William, Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of Colmworth. Hugh de Beauchamp
Hugh de Beauchamp
Hugh de Beauchamp was an Anglo-Norman feudal lord of Abergavenny in the Welsh Marches in the late 12th century.He is of the large Beauchamp dynasty but his parentage is as yet unknown or unproven. Hugh de Beauchamp became lord of Abergavenny after the deaths without issue of the sons of Miles de...
of Eaton Socon
Eaton Socon
Eaton Socon is a district of St Neots in Cambridgeshire, England. It was originally a village in Bedfordshire, along with the neighbouring village of Eaton Ford, but officially became part of the town in 1965...
endowed the priory with 28 acres (113,000 m²), the priory also held land around Coppingford chapel; during these early years it also held a considerable number of Selions, given to them by local people as gifts of faith. Around 1206 King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
permitted the monks to enclose and clear part of the nearby Perry woods.
After William's death in 1215, Joseph, Chaplain of Coppingford, became head of the fraternity. Under his guidance the house became an Augustinian priory. The Augustinians, were then a comparatively new order, which ordained priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s, but lived in community similar in style to monks.
Throughout the following years the priory prospered through gifts and grants. The monks wrote documents illustrating their daily lives, these became books of charters, called Cartularies. Unfortunately through the centuries very few of these charters have survived.
It was common for monastic orders at this time to be the beneficiaries of generous donations. However, it was equally common for disapproving heirs to object to the size of these gifts donated from their potential estates. One such heir was John Pateschull, unhappy at a bequest of £8 per annum in the will of his grandfather, after a dispute lasting many years, he had had the priory’s cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
seized. Richard of Staughton, a senior Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
and later prior of Bushmead, called the bailiff and set out to recover them. The senior Canon was seized by John Pateschull’s men and imprisoned. The dispute was finally ended through arbitration.
When Richard of Staughton became prior, he obtained permission from the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
to form a boy’s school; however it is thought he died of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
before the project could be implemented.
Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, the ownership of Bushmead Priory became the subject of a dispute between the St. John family of Bletsoe and Sir William Gascoigne of Cardington
Cardington, Bedfordshire
Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, EnglandPart of the ancient hundred of Wixamtree, the settlement is best known in connection with the Cardington airship works founded by Short Brothers during World War I, which later became an RAF training station...
, the latter being Cardinal Wolsey's controller of the household. He had previously exchanged land with King Henry VIII and sought further recompense. The King waited until 1537, almost a year after the priory’s dissolution, before allowing the priory to pass to Sir William.
Fifteen years later, in 1562, a Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
man, William Gery, purchased the estate and almost immediately began building on the site of the priory. Around a hundred years later Richard Gery extended the site and formed a mansion (since demolished). There have obviously been many changes to the priory. A new floor, and fenestration (in the lower section) were fitted circa 1500, although only the rafters now remain. Clearly visible, though, are the major and various subsequent minor alterations, giving an interesting insight into its architectural history.
It is a rare example of King post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
, and timber frame roof architecture.
The site is now in the care of the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Commission and is open to the public at weekends during Spring and Summer.
External links
- "Bushmead Priory", official site at English Heritage